Now, 'Solar Impulse of the Seas' Readies to Sail Across Globe

Dubbed the “Solar Impulse of the Seas,” the first boat to be powered solely by renewable energies and hydrogen hopes to make it own historic trip around the world. A water-borne answer to the Solar Impulse – the plane that completed its round-the-globe trip using only solar energy in July – the ‘Energy Observer’ will be powered by the sun, the wind and self-generated hydrogen when it sets sail in February. The multi-hulled catamaran is awaiting the installation of solar panels, wind turbines and electrolysis equipment, which breaks down water to produce hydrogen and oxygen.

This is going to be the first boat with an autonomous means of producing hydrogen. The plan is for the boat’s batteries, which will feed the electric motors, to be powered in good weather by solar and wind energy. If there’s no Sun or wind, or at night, stored hydrogen will take over. As a result, the vessel’s trip will not use any carbon-emitting fossil fuels.

The catamaran won the Jules Verne Trophy, for a team sailing non-stop round the world in 1994. It was bought for 500,000 Euros and extended by six metres, to 30.5 metres, for the project. Its world tour is expected to take six years. After a careful crossing of the Mediterranean, the catamaran will venture out into the Atlantic and then Pacific Oceans. In all, 101 stopovers are planned form Cuba to New Caledonia to Goa.

This Smart Strap Will Turn Your Finger Into a Phone

Move over, earphones! You may soon be able to answer phone calls just by pacing your finger in your ear, thanks to a new wearable smart-watch strap developed by a Korean company. Sgnl is a smart strap that can be attached to existing smart-watches, and enables the users to answer phone calls through their fingertip. “With Sgnl, you can keep your cell phone alone in your pocket,” according to the Innomdle lab, a company based in Seoul that developed the device. When you place your finger to your ear, your finger not only transmits the sound but it also blocks out background noise. The device receives voice signal from the phone through Bluetooth. When a voice signal is received, it generates vibration through its Body Conduction Unit (BCU) which transmits the vibration through the hand to the fingertip. When the fingertip is placed to the ear, the vibration echoes to create amplified sound in the ear.

China Rolls Out Its First Sky Train in Nanjing

China’s first shy train came off the assembly line in the city of Nanjing, making it third country after Germany and Japan to develop the technology. The Nanjing Puzhen Company Limited, affiliated to China’s largest state-owned rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Corporation Limited (China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation) rolled out the elevated railway train on 10 September. The two compartments can hold more than 200 passengers, and when compared with subways and trams, shy trains have lower costs, better climbing and turning ability, and higher wind resistance, Chinese officials said. A professor of Beijing Jiaotong University said the construction period of shy trains is also much shorter than that of subways, lasting only three to five months for dozens of kms of rails. The overhauled railway is driven by batteries which can run for four hours at a time, and the batteries can be changed when stopped at a station, with the whole process lasting only two minutes. Experts said sky trains are a good choice in third and fourth tiered cities and at scenic spots. The sky trains will make their debut in China next year at a variety of scenic places.

A Material to Block Mobile Radiations

Scientists have developed a new material that can effectively block electromagnetic waves emitting from mobile phones, televisions, microwave ovens and other appliances. Researchers manufactured the material made out of MXene. MXene is a class of two-dimensional inorganic compounds made of titanium and carbon and a single layer is about one nanometer. Researchers found that MXene can block the electromagnetic waves. One of its strengths is it is easy to process and the cost is relatively cheap.

This Technology Lets You Read Closed Books

Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have developed a new technology that may help archaeologists look into antique books without touching them. Researchers tested a prototype of the system on a stack of papers, each with one letter printed on it. The system was able to correctly identify the letters on the top nine sheets. The Metropolitan Museum in New York showed a lot of interest in this, because they want to, for example, look into some antique books that they don’t even want to touch. Researchers said that the system could be used to analyse any materials organized in thin layers, such as coatings on machine parts or pharmaceuticals. The researchers developed the algorithms that acquire images from individual sheets in stacks of paper, and interprets the often distorted or incomplete images as individual letters. The system uses terahertz radiation, the band of electro-magnetic radiation between microwaves and infrared light, which has several advantages over other types of waves that can penetrate surfaces, such as X-rays or sound waves.

Now, a 'Potalyser' to Detect Pot Intoxication in Drivers

Scientists have developed a new ‘potalyser’ – the first practical roadside test for marijuana intoxication that can detect the drug in a driver’s saliva in less than three minutes. No device currently on the market can quickly provide a precise measurement of a driver’s marijuana intoxications effectively as breathalyzer gauges alcohol intoxication. THC, the drug’s most potent psychoactive agent, is commonly screened for in laboratory blood or urine tests – not very helpful for an officer in the field. The device developed by scientists might function as a practical “potalyser” because it can quickly detect not just the presence of THC in a person’s saliva, but also measure its concentration. The created a mobile device that uses magnetic biosensors to detect tiny THC molecules in saliva. Officers could collect a spit sample with a cotton swab and read the results on a smartphone or laptop in as little as three minutes.

Researchers tackling the “potalyser” problem have zeroed in on saliva because testing it is less invasive and because THC in saliva may correlate with impairment better than THC in urine or blood. This device can detect concentrations of THC in the range of 0 to 50 nanogrammes per milliliter of saliva. While there is still no consensus on how much THC in a driver’s system is too much, previous studies have suggested a cutoff between 2 and 25 nanogrammes per milliliter will within the capability of the device. The researchers achieved such precision by harnessing the behavior of magnetism in nanoparticles, which measures just a few tens of billionths of a meter.

In the test, saliva is mixed with THC antibodies, which bind to any THC molecules in the sample. Then the sample is placed on disposable chip cartridge, which contains magneto-resistive (GMR) sensors pre-coated with THC, and inserted into the handheld reader. The device then uses Bluetooth to communicate results to the screen of a smartphone. The platform has potential usefulness beyond THC. The GMR biosensors in the device could detect any small molecule, meaning that the platform could also test for morphine, heroin, cocaine or other drugs. With 80 sensors built into it, the GMR biosensor chip could screen a single sample for multiple substances.

Now, You Can Update Your Car

Tired of your vehicle and its aging, limited features? Don’t trade it in just yet. Download new software instead. In some cases, that is already possible. And over the next few years, as the already extensive software on modern cars becomes even more feature-rich, manufacturers mean to step up the effort. They plan to offer many types of improvements through download that are beamed directly to the car via satellite. Wi-Fi or cellular signal, without the vehicle has to be brought into the shop. And your car will be serviceable like a giant smartphone, with new features added while your sleep.

A leading proponent of this is Tesla, which has been sending updated to its cars’ operating systems since 2012. The company is expected to announce an updated operating system next week. The chief executive has said that the updated will include improvements to the company’s Autopilot automated driving system. But Tesla is by no means alone in the download department. General Motors has been offering upgrades via the cellular-delivered OnStar entertainment and roadside assistance system since 2009. GM’s Acadia sport utility vehicle its entertainment system over the air.

Other manufacturers, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, send wireless uploads to update various in-vehicle apps, including maps and entertainment offerings like Spotify. Ford, which previously provided software updates to its Sync infotainment system using a USB memory stick, will soon send software uploads to deliver Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality to its 2016 models equipped with its Sync 3 infotainment system. CarPlay and Auto replicate certain iPhone and Android smartphone features on the vehicle’s display. Ford delivers the updated software via Wi-Fi, installing it when the vehicle is restarted.

Manufacturers are also looking at software downloads as a new source of revenue, turning on featured remotely if the owner pays a fee. Tesla has already incorporated fees for features into its business model. While late model Tesla vehicles are equipped with cameras and sensors to enable semiautonomous driving, this feature – Autopilot – requires a $3,000 to $3,500 software download to make it work. Remote software updated will become crucial as vehicles become more capable of driving themselves. Software upgrades will be almost mandatory once we move up to higher forms of autonomous driving. The artificial intelligence underpinning self-driving will require constant upgrading to deal with novel situations.